DETERRENCE IS ABOUT PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING CRIME THROUGH FEAR OF PUNISHMENT
AND/OR RETRIBUTION.

Deterrence is
a theory from behavioural psychology about preventing and controlling actions
or behaviour through fear of punishment or retribution. This theory of criminology
is shaping the criminal justice system of the United States and various other
countries.

Deterrence
can be divided into two separate categories.

General deterrence manifests itself in policy whereby
examples are made of deviants. The individual actor is not the focus of the
attempt at behavioural change, but rather receives punishment in public view in
order to deter other individuals from deviance in the future.

Specific deterrence focuses on the individual deviant and
attempts to correct his or her behaviour. Punishment is meant to discourage the
individual from recidivating.

Deterrence is
achieved through

The higher probability of arrest and conviction

Severity of punishment

Denunciation

In Medieval Times deciding guilt in an offender was more
important than the nature of the offence. Once the guilt was announced, the
question was not so much whether an execution should take place, but how
dramatic it should be. There were not many punishments besides exile and
execution.

Two utilitarian philosophers of the eighteenth century,
Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, formulated the deterrence theory as both an
explanation of crime and a method for reducing it. Beccaria argued that crime
was not only an attack on an individual but on society as well. This extended
the issue of punishment beyond retribution and restitution to aggrieved
individuals. Society was cast as victim, not merely bystander, and what had
been seen as a dispute between individuals, expanded to an issue of criminal
law. For the utilitarians, the purpose of punishment became the protection of
society through the prevention of crime.

Theories of
Specific and General Deterrence

Deterrence is preventing actions through fear of
retribution. It is the main theory of criminology manifesting in the criminal
justice system of the United
States as well as various other countries.
Deterrence is divided into two categories. General deterrence is policy whereby
examples are made of deviants by punishment in public view in order to deter
others from deviance in the future. Specific deterrence focuses on specific
individuals and attempts to correct their behavior. Harsh Punishment
discourages the individual from recidivating. Both assume rationality on the
part of criminals, and feel crime can ultimately be prevented through changing
the cost benefit ratios of such behaviour.

Early history has it that in organized religion they
punished people for breaking religious laws. Eighteenth Century Italian social
critic, Cesare Beccaria published a treatise on ties between formal sanctions
and compliant behaviour. Formal sanctions is when the government acts as social
control agents (Police). The deterrent power of formal sanctions was to
Beccaria a thing needing proportionality. Sentencing should be equal for
similar crimes.

About 100 years ago positivists were looking in other
venues to find the cause of crime; but in the 1960’s deterrence was
rediscovered. It is the mainstay, supported by funding from various government.
In the last two decades two deterrence related processes were explored:

Rational
choice

Circumstances and rationalizations

Decided already what laws they will break

Make consequences as unpleasant as possible

Routine
activities

Crime viewed as part of life

Constant supply of criminals and victims

Solve crime using clues about a routine life of a criminal

Formal
Deterrence Theory

All men possess free will,

Man is capable of rational thought and selection.

Man is hedonistic by nature,

Deterrence is
punishment based on principles of certainty, celerity and severity.

Emphasis is on certainty of punishment

Celerity (promptness of punishment)

Severity (greatness of punishment)

Rational
Choice Theory

In Rational Choice Theory, an offender decides to break
the law after considering need for money, how well a target is protected, how
affluent the neighbourhood is, and how efficient local police are.

By "target hardening" we reduce opportunities to
commit crime, like making it more difficult to break into houses or shops, or
increasing authority figures (Police). It is a prevention strategy.

Routine
Activities Theory

It focuses on the characteristics of crime rather than
characteristics of miscreants. Everyday patterns of social interaction change.
The problem analysis triangle is:

Target

Offender

Inefficient
Authority Figure (Police)

Broader
Sociological Theories

Crime theory can be categorized into nature and nurture
theories. Regardless of whether the cause of crime is a nature or nurture
theory, deterrence focuses on crime prevention; man is hedonistic by nature,
suggesting deterrence is a nature theory. Deterrence and opportunity theories,
biological and biochemical theories, psychological abnormality theories, and
psychological learning and developmental theories are all nature theories. Some
are criminal because it is their nature. Social organizational theories, social
process theories, labeling and conflict theories are nurture theories. Some
become criminal due to their environment.

THE MERITS OF
DETERRENCE THEORY

Costs of incarceration for life cheaper than the costs to
society of their criminal activity; how much is a human life worth? Crime
cheapens the value of life. We often take justice for granted. Police is there
to protect us from the poor quality of life we would have without social
control. Cost to society of a human life to me is greater than the cost of
incarcerating Criminals. Deterrence seems a harsh view, but it supports policy
making that is tough on crime which is turning out to be the ultimate need of
the society at large.

IT WILL NOT BE OUT OF CONTEXT TO STATE THAT “THE FAILURE OF THE
EXECUTIVE, ESPECIALLY THE POLICE, IS THE FAILURE OF THE GOVERNMENT IN POWER AS
WELL AS OF THE OPPOSTION THAT IS SITTING THEIR BOTH IN THE PARLIAMENT &
OUTSIDE”.

IN THE OPINION OF THE UNDERSIGNED THE DAY POLICE
STARTS TAKING “SUO MOTO NOTICE & COGNIZANCE” ON ITS OWN, OF
HAPPENINGS/EVENTS/INFORMATION OF THE IMPENDING CRIME SCENARIO WITHOUT WAITING
FOR SOME ONE TO FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT, IT COULD BECOME A VERY POTENT
DETERRENT OVER A PASSAGE OF TIME.

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